Eastern Notes: Stoudemire, Evans, Bayless
The Wizards finally broke through tonight, winning their first game in 13 tries with a victory over the Blazers. With a tough stretch ahead, however, it doesn't seem like they'll be catching anyone in the Eastern Conference standings soon. Here's the latest from around the East.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com hears Amare Stoudemire would accept a bench role when he returns from injury, and that the Knicks are indeed considering making Stoudemire, on a nearly $100MM contract, their sixth man.
- Offseason sign-and-trade acquisition Reggie Evans could earn Sixth Man of the Year consideration if he keeps up his mastery of the boards for the Nets, opines A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
- The Raptors were high on the idea of re-signing Jerryd Bayless, according to coach Dwane Casey, but the point guard decided to go to the Grizzlies instead, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
- The pressure has been on Magic GM Rob Hennigan as soon as he took the job, and after trading Dwight Howard, he must be right about his next big move, argues Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News rates Kyle Singler among the top five rookies, identifying him as a steal for the Pistons on his three-year, $3.135MM deal (Twitter link).
- The Pistons had no idea Brandon Knight would fall to them at pick No. 8 in the 2011 draft, and had been targeting Tristan Thompson and Markieff Morris instead, as Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reveals via Twitter.
- Nets newcomer Mirza Teletovic said he isn't concerned by his lack of playing time as he spoke about his adjustment to the NBA with Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (Sulia link).
- Omri Casspi, in the last year of his rookie deal with the Cavs, is among the league leaders in three-point shooting after working on his shot in the offseason, notes Bob Finnan of The News-Herald.
Eastern Notes: Calderon, Stackhouse, Cavs
Since Martell Webster dubbed the Wizards' third game of the season, against the Celtics, a "must-win," the team has lost ten more games and now sits at 0-12. With a home contest vs. 6-8 the Trail Blazers on tap tonight, the club has a decent opportunity to finally notch its first victory of the season. As Michael Lee of the Washington Post writes, things will only get tougher going forward, with four road games against the Knicks, Heat, Hawks, and Warriors up next.
While we wait to see if Washington can get into the win column, let's check out a few updates from around the Eastern Conference….
- Jose Calderon tells Yahoo! Deportes that his goal next summer in free agency is to sign a multiyear deal (translation via HoopsHype).
- When he signed with the Nets, Jerry Stackhouse expected his role to primarily involve coaching and mentoring, but he's made the most of the playing time he's received, writes Howie Kussoy of the New York Post.
- Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio fielded primarily Cavaliers-related questions from fans in a chat today, including plenty of inquiries on trade possibilities involving Anderson Varejao.
- Taj Gibson tells K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune (Sulia link) that the pressure of living up to the contract extension he signed before the season isn't affecting his play at all.
Blatche: Wizards “Tried To End Me”
Following the Nets' overtime win against the Knicks last night, Andray Blatche took to social media, tweeting: "Feels good to be part of a winning organization." The message's not-so-subtle undertone: Blatche is happy to be out of Washington, where the Wizards fell to an NBA-worst 0-12 earlier in the evening.
While Blatche's tweet didn't attack the Wizards head-on, the Nets forward appeared on 106.7 The Fan in Washington this morning, where he was more direct with his criticism of the franchise that amnestied him earlier this summer. As Mike Prada of BulletsForever.com and Michael Lee of the Washington Post detail, Blatche contended that he was unfairly scapegoated in Washington by an organization that didn't have his back.
"For them to say, 'Oh, he’s a bad teammate. He’s a cancer in the locker room.' He’s this and that. All that is a bunch of lies," Blatche said. "That’s what really made me mad. That showed me, they tried to end me.
"I can't remember not once anybody say, 'Give him a break. Let's try to pick him up.' Or anything. They were like, when things weren't starting well, they used me as an excuse."
Blatche had the worst season of his career in 2011/12, in part due to poor conditioning and injuries. The 26-year-old admitted that showing up for the season out of shape was "100% on me," but suggested that the team could have done much more to improve the public perception of his work ethic and locker room influence.
"That's my other point," Blatche said. "For them to say, 'He's a bad teammate. He's a cancer in the locker room.' All that was a bunch of lies. That's what really made me mad. When they said all those rumors and put them in the media, that's what angered me. Who else would say that? None of my teammates would say that. [The media] can ask every last one of my teammates here, and I guarantee you what they say is completely different than what everyone else says."
Although Blatche and the Wizards certainly aren't in for a reunion anytime soon, the two sides are tied together in at least one way: Washington will be paying most of the money remaining on Blatche's amnestied contract through 2015. The deal still had three years and over $23MM left on it when Blatche was cut in July.
Atlantic Notes: D-Will, Carmelo, Nets, Lowry, 76ers
On the heels of Deron Williams and Carmelo Anthony matching up in Brooklyn for the first time last night, Ken Berger of CBS Sports takes a look back at the February 2011 trade deadline. Nets general manager Billy King believed he had a chance to acquire Anthony right up until the moment he got the call saying Carmelo had been sent to the Knicks, says Berger. The CBS scribe speculates that, if things played out a little differently at the '11 deadline, Anthony and Williams could still be cross-town rivals now, with 'Melo in Brooklyn and D-Will in Manhattan.
Here are a few more items of interest from around the Atlantic:
- Also from Berger's piece, King spoke about his three top targets when he assumed the role of Nets GM: "I got the job and I knew there was… the potential for three guys to be available. I made a run at Chris [Paul], [the Hornets] said no right away, and then I made the run at Carmelo. I figured if I got him, then I could go after Deron as a free agent. Really, I was getting Carmelo to get Deron."
- According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, while King was "privately maligned" by rival GMs for the March 2012 trade that sent out a lottery pick for Gerald Wallace, the Nets GM recognized that Williams needed a veteran addition to help him get through the final few months before free agency.
- The Raptors love the toughness and swagger of new point guard Kyle Lowry, and would like those traits to be part of the team's identity, says Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.
- Despite Andrew Bynum's injury woes, the Sixers are better off having made the blockbuster deal that brought him to Philadelphia, argues Danny Pommells of CSNPhilly.com.
- With the Mavericks set to play in Philadelphia tonight, Elton Brand will get a chance to see family in the area and to reunite with his old head coach Doug Collins, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes.
- Speaking to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, Jeff Green says it was a "no-brainer" to sign with the Celtics this offseason.
Nets Expected To Assign Taylor To D-League
The Springfield Armor may be welcoming a new player in the near future, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports (via Twitter) the Nets are expected to assign Tyshawn Taylor to the team's D-League affiliate. Although the Nets are the only NBA team affiliated with the Armor, Brooklyn has yet to assign a player to Springfield so far this season.
Taylor, the 41st pick in the 2012 draft, has appeared in seven games for the Nets, but has seen limited action in those contests. Since scoring five points in nine minutes against the Magic on November 9th, the 22-year-old point guard has played less than three overall minutes in four games. The assignment to Springfield should mean a significant increase in playing time for the rookie.
Atlantic Notes: Barbosa, Stoudemire, Wallace, Brooks
The main motivation the Celtics had for signing veteran guard Leandro Barbosa was his ability to score. According to CSNNE.com's A. Sherrod Blakely, they may be getting more than they bargained for.
- As Damian Lillard makes his first trip to Brooklyn, the Nets are left to wonder what could have been had they not traded for Gerald Wallace, writes the New York Times' Benjamin Hoffman.
- Again from the New York Times, Beckley Mason talks about the Knicks fortune without Amare Stoudemire.
- Nets second year guard MarShon Brooks is getting inconsistent playing time so far this season, and the New York Post's Tim Bontemps tries to figure out why.
Odds & Ends: Warriors, Dwight, Davis, Brewer
It's an eight-game night in the NBA, and while not much attention will be focused on the Bobcats–Wizards tilt, it's certainly a change to find the 6-5 Bobcats on the other side of a game in which a team is starving for a win. While we wait to see if Washington can get its first victory in 11 tries this season, here's more from the Association.
- In a guest editorial for the Bay Area News Group, former Warriors and Grizzlies executive Andy Dolich expresses doubt that the Warriors will be able to open their arena on the San Francisco Bay by 2017, given the lengthy environmental impact review process that must take place (hat tip to Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com).
- Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com wonders if Dwight Howard, a free agent this summer, will question his commitment to the Lakers if the team's struggles continues (Twitter link).
- Glen Davis is looking forward to getting his first win against the Celtics, who traded him to the Magic before last season, notes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Corey Brewer has bounced around the league since he was picked seventh overall in in 2007, but with free agency looming next summer, the Nuggets' system has helped him finally live up to his promise, observes Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game (Sulia link).
- Benjamin Hoffman of The New York Times wonders what might have been if the Nets had kept their 2012 first-round draft choice and used it to select Damian Lillard, just as the Blazers did with the pick after they landed it in the Gerald Wallace deal.
- Lillard is atop the rookie rankings compiled by Chris Bernucca of SheridanHoops.com.
- Rookie Jae Crowder has been impressive at times for the Mavs, but his transition to the NBA has not been seamless, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star Telegram examines.
Atlantic Notes: Camby, Lin, Celtics, Nets
An early roundup of the latest happenings from around the Atlantic Division on Saturday morning:
- Marc Berman of the New York Post wonders whether Marcus Camby regrets not re-signing in Houston given how infrequently he has played for the Knicks this season.
- Moke Hamilton of SheridanHoops.com believes the Knicks were right to let Jeremy Lin leave, as proven by his poor play in Houston to begin the season.
- Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com takes a look at how Doc Rivers and the Celtics are managing Kevin Garnett's minutes as the star forward advances in age.
- Tim Bontemps of the New York Post writes that Nets coach Avery Johnson is still tinkering with the team's rotations for the season.
Atlantic Notes: Bynum, Knicks, Lin, Celtics, Green
The Dwight Howard/Andrew Bynum trade, like many of the offseason's marquee moves, has yet to pay dividends for any of the teams involved, writes Michael Lee of The Washington Post. Lee thinks the Lakers and Nuggets will turn around their slow starts this season, but he's less optimistic about the Sixers, whom he believes must give Bynum a hefty contract this summer, no matter when he comes back from injury, to justify their involvement in the trade. We've already heard conflicting views on what kind of deal Bynum can expect this summer, and as we wait to find out, there's more news on Philly's Atlantic Division rivals.
- Presumably it's GM Glen Grunwald, if not owner James Dolan, calling the shots on Knicks personnel, but coach Mike Woodson said the decision to let Jeremy Lin go this summer was straightforward, as Newsday's Al Iannazzonne observes. "That’s a business decision," Woodson said. "I don’t think it was difficult. We just decided to go in a different direction, based on the guys I thought I liked in terms of Raymond (Felton), Jason (Kidd) and Pablo (Prigioni)."
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, who credits Dolan with making the call on Lin, says he's come around to the owner's side on this one after initially believing the Knicks should have kept Lin.
- The Celtics signed Brian Cusworth toward the end of training camp and waived him shortly thereafter so their D-League affiliate could own their rights, reports Mark Deeks of ShamSports (Twitter link). We noted earlier today that the Timberwolves carried out the same sort of transactions with Demetris Nichols and Troy Hudson. Cusworth, a 7'0" center from Harvard, is on the roster of the Maine Red Claws for opening night tonight.
- Jeff Green remains friends with Kevin Durant, but he has otherwise moved on from his Thunder days as he prepares to take on his old team tonight, he told reporters, including Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
- Offseason signee Mirza Teletovic, on the inactive list tonight, isn't seeing much of the court for the Nets, as Josh Newman of SNY.tv chronicles.
Eastern Notes: Heat, Wright, Knicks, Wallace
A glance around the Eastern Conference on Thanksgiving Day:
- The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman writes that the Heat do not see a need for free agent forward Kenyon Martin. Winderman says if Miami makes any move, it will be to sign or trade for a defensive-minded point guard.
- Dorell Wright, acquired by the 76ers this summer, is not fazed by his decreased playing time, writes Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com.
- Nate Taylor of the New York Times attributes the Knicks' early-season success to their defensive focus.
- Jack Appleman of the New York Times examines the impact Gerald Wallace has on the Nets on the defensive end.